Valve



(No Mom.)

C.E.VAN AUKEN.

VALVE. I

PatentedJune 14.1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE E. VAI\.T AUKEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 476,844, dated J' une14, 1892.

Application iiled February 15,1892. Serial No. 421,523. (No model.)

To all whom it Hetty concern.'

Be it known that I, CLARENCE E. VAN AUKEN, residing at Chicago, Cookcounty, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inValves, of which the following, when taken in connection with thedrawings accompanying and forming a part hereof, is a full and completedescription suiiicient to enable those skilled in the art to make anduse the same.

My invention relates to that class of valves designed to be attached toa steam-radiator and adapted to permit the escape therethrough of airfrom such radiator, and to automatically close against theescape ofsteam or water, if any there be in the radiator.

The purpose of my invention is to obtain a valve wherein the expansiblerod forming a part of the device need not be secured to the shell orcase of such device, and a valve wherein the several parts shall not beliable to become injured ordisplaced in the use thereof, which can beeasily and cheaply made, and which shall be effective in operation.

In the drawings referred to and accompanying this spccilication, Figurelis a vertical section on line l l of Fig. 4; Figs. 2 and 3, verticalcross-sections, respectively, on the same line, illustratingmodifications of the invention; Fig. 4, a horizontal section on line 44. of Fig. l.

The same letter of reference is used to designate a given part wheresuch part is illustrated in more than one figure of Athe drawings.

A isa shell or casing; a, the base thereof, and a a neck orprojectionadapted to be secured into a hole in the radiator havingcorresponding threads therein; d2, the dome or top of the shell or caseA.

B is the passage-wayin neck a.

C is a tube inserted in passage-Way B and having a bend therein at thepoint thereof where it extends from such passage-Way into the shell orcase A and extending upward in such shell or case to or nearly to thedome or top a2. The tube C forms an inlet for air, steam, or water fromthe radiator to which the device is attached into shell or case A; butsuch tube need not necessarily extend entirely through the passage-wayB, and in Fig. l such tube C is illustrated as not extendingentirelythrough such passage-way.

D is a rod or post, either hollow or solid, as

'unless the rod or preferred, extending vertically in shell or case Afrom the base thereof to near the top. CZ is a well in base a, forming aseat `for rod or post D, into which well or seat the rod or post Dloosely tits. Rod or post l) is constructed of material adapted toexpand to a greater extent when heated than will the shell or case A,and in the operation of the valve such rod or post is so expanded bysteam when any is contained in the shell or case A.

D is a cap fitting loosely on rod or post D and adapted to be raisedtherefrom.

d is a hole in cap D. I-Iole d is not used trated in Fig. l.

D2 is a valve on cap D.

E is a passage-way, preferably of two diameters, through plug F, and eis a valve-seat in passage-way E, against which the valve D2 is adaptedto close.

l G is an inverted bucket or float resting at its lower edge on lugs g gof shell or case A and adapted to be raised or floated by Water when anyis contained in such shell or case.

G is a tube secured in inverted bucket G. Vhen enough water is containedin the shell or case A to extend above the lower edge of the bucket Gand tube G', the air contained in the bucket cannot escape therefrom,but will be retained and form an air-cushion therein. The tube holds thepost in position without securing the post to shell A. These valves aremade for use on steam-heating systems wherein the pressure is variable,and I have found it desirable to vary the Weight of the cap and valve DD2, so that the pressure or induction produced by the air escapingthrough the passage-way E will not raise the cap and valve off the rodor post (when the same are placed loosely thereon) or raise the rod orpost D, cap D', valve D2, and float G when the same are securedtogether. This difference in weight can be obtained in any suitable way,as by increasing the thickness of the cap D or by attachinga weight, asof lead, thereto.

By inspection of Fig. l it will be readily seen that rod or post D titsloosely in tube G', v

and hence when the rod or post G is expanded by steam-to a greaterextent than is shell or `case A the cap D will be raised thereby, and

by a proper adjustment of the plug F valve D2 will be closed againstseat e of passagepost D is hollow, as illus- ICO way E, and that whenthe fioat G is raised by water contained in the shellor case A the cap Dwill be elevated by the rod or post D, and thereby valve D2 will beclosed on its seat c. It will be further observed that in the expansionof the rod D the float G will not be raised from the lugs g' g,supporting it, or otherwise affected, and when the float G is raised by.liotation and the cap D on rod or post D raised off thereof therod orpost D will not be affected thereby.

In the modification ot' my invention illustrated in Fig. 2 the float Gis constructed in the same manner as the float G in the device whenconstructed as illustrated in Fig. l, and the tube G is secured in thefioat vG in the same manner. Such tube G has, however, in thismodification a bottom G2, and the rod or post D rests at its lower endon such bottom G2. The float G is supported on the projecting ring g',such projecting ring having the functions of the lugs g g in Fig. l. Rodor post D, it should be noted, fits loosely in tube G in themodification illustrated in Fig. 2, and hence when the rod or post isexpanded by steam being contained in the shell or case A the cap D andvalve D2 thereon is raised against the valve-seat e, while ioat Gremains immovable on ring g, such float, however, supporting the rod orpost D on the bottom G2of tube G. Then in this modification the fioat Gis raised by water contained in the shell or case A, the rod or post Dis raised therewith, together with the cap D and valve D2.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 3 the float G is supported bythe rod or post D, such rod or post fitting tightly in the short tube orflange G2. In this modification the cap D of the aforedescribedconstruction is replaced by the head D3, on which is secured the valveD2. It follows that in this construction when the rod or post D isexpanded by steam contained in the shell or case A the fioat G is raisedin unison with the rising of the head D3 and valve D2, and when thefloat G is raised by water contained in the shell or case G therod D isvraised in unison therewith.

By those skilled in the art it will be understood that when thehorizontal passage-way B is made sufficiently large in diameter withreference to its length the portion ofthe tube C placed therein by mecan be dispensed with and such tube O cut off-on, say, the line letteredC in Fig. l, sue'h passage-way B acting as an inlet and water voutlet tothe shell or case A; but as valves of this character are ordinarily madewith the neck a ofa prescribed size, and that size is not large enoughto permit such passage-way B lo act to the best advantage as awater-outlet, so that when water is contained in the shell or case A itwill run freely therefrom .through such passage-way B back into theradiator therein extending horizontally either wholly or partiallythrough the passage-way B, as well as to near the top of the float G.

It will be noted that if the tube G3 be extended sufficiently down onrod D to hold such rod in position when itis fitted loosely in such tubeG2 that such rod D may be fitted loosely in such tube and yet be allowedto rest loosely on the bottom a of the shell or case A.

It will thus be seen that in all the constructions hereinbeforeillustrated and described the rod or post D need not be and by me is notsecured in any way to the shell or case/A, such feature being common toall of the several constructions.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desiretosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a valve, a shell having an inlet and an outlet, in combinationwith an expansible post .within the shell but not secured thereto, an

inverted bucket forming a fioat, surrounding the post, a tube in whichthe expansible post extends, secured in the fioat, a cap having a Valvethereon mon nted on the expansible post, and a valve-seat against whichthe valve is adapted to fit, thereby closing the outlet, whereby air inthe shell or case can escape therefrom and whereby such valve is closedagainst the escape of steam by the expansion of the post and against theescape of water by the flotation of the float, substantially'asdescribed.

2. Inavalve, a shell having an inlet andan outlet and a water-outlet, incombination with an expansible post within the shell but not securedthereto, an inverted bucket forming a float surrounding the post, a tubein which the expansible post extends, secured in the fioat, a cap havinga valve thereon mounted on the expansible post, and a valve-seat againstwhich the valve is adapted to fit, thereby closing the outlet, wherebyair in the shell or case-can escape therefrom and whereby such valve isclosed against the rscape of steam by the expansion of the post andagainst the escape of water by the flotation of the float, substantiallyas described.

3. In a valve, a shell having an inlet and an outlet and a water-outlet,in combination with an inverted bucket forming a float,a tube secured inthe float, an expansible post fitting loosely in the tube and notsecured thereto or to the shell, a cap having a valve thereon mounted onthe expansible post, such capI extending partially over the float, and avalveseat therefor in the outlet, whereby the eX- pansion of the postwill raise the cap and close the valve without moving the float andwhereby the fioating of the float will raise the cap and close the valvewithout moving the post, substantially as described.

CLARENCE F.. VAN AUKEN.

IOC

